Former Brisbane Bronco Corey Parker has slammed Payne Haas and his contract saga, claiming he would cut the prop loose as the club attempts to save face and retain the representative forward.
Haas dropped a bombshell on Brisbane's officials and fans back in May when the front-rower requested an immediate release from his contract, which ties him to Red Hill through to the end of the 2024 season.
On a reported $800,000 per season, Haas wants his contract upgraded to a $1 million a year deal, something Parker has slammed as he's called for the Broncos to let him walk.
“I copped criticism for saying so at the time, but I stand by it: I would have gotten rid of him," Parker wrote on Code Sports.
"Payne Haas’ transfer demand, both at the time and in hindsight, was an enormous factor in Brisbane’s season.
“It was the first major drama, coming after just 11 rounds. The Broncos were placed fifth, amid a seven-game winning streak.
“It reflected poorly on Payne, whether it was directly his doing or not.
“He’s on $800,000 per season yet claiming he wants to leave the club to get $1 million … what does that say to your teammates?
“That’s the first thing he should have thought of, yet clearly it was far from his main concern.
“If you’re a Kobe Hetherington, Zac Hosking, Jordan Riki or Keenan Palasia, a fellow forward busting your arse on far less money … how are you meant to feel when a guy earning $800,000 says it’s not enough and he wants to leave the club?
“Me personally? I’d have been thinking, ‘Stuff you’."
Following the request, the Broncos won just six of their final 13 games, a far cry from the form that saw the playing group string seven wins in a row earlier in the season.
Parker credits the request for derailing their season after Brisbane sat in the top four with six games to go, leaking over 40 points per game in their final three matches to plummet out of top eight contention.
“An incident like that doesn’t directly affect performances, necessarily.
“But all of a sudden, when the team is struggling and Payne isn’t at his best, what are those other players thinking? ‘Still want to leave the club for $1 million?’
“It does have a negative impact.
“That bombshell hit before Origin, then resurfaced again after, and we all saw how the back half of the season panned out.
“The Broncos missed the finals, making the latest drop in history from the top four to outside the eight. Payne claimed that he wanted to go to a club where he could play finals footy. What does it all mean now?
“Players and clubs can’t always get it right, but that whole episode was just poor from Payne. Never in the 34-year history of the Broncos have I seen an individual player get booed by the fans.
“It was pretty clear what they thought.”
The club's General Manager of Football, Ben Ikin, will meet with Haas as the two attempt to find some middle ground.
“We will sit down with Payne and his management to discuss his situation,” Ikin told The Courier Mail.
“We value Payne highly at this club and we see him as an important part of our push for better things in the future.”
“We value Payne highly at this club and we see him as an important part of our push for better things in the future.”
Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he ?
I’m with Corey Parker on this. Payne Haas puts himself first and seemingly cares not a jot for the club.
If you want to see what a million dollar player looks like, look at Ben Hunt. Even at $800K, Payne is overpaid. At that sort of “marquee money” he should be making a game-breaking impact each week. Look at the highlights for Broncos matches on the NRL site, and it’s common for his name to not get a single mention.
If I were Ben Ikin, I would show him the door and get a couple of guys who have less talent but who play 100% effort. November isn’t far away, so now is the time to tell him which way up is.